Long-haul may be nearing an end
New TV deal set to help Warriors avoid playing in Oz west
The Warriors are looking to overcome their Perth hoodoo in Saturday's NRL clash against Manly but expect to have a greater say in whether they have to make the long-haul trip next season.
The Auckland-based side are yet to win in eight visits to Western Australia since 1996, but until now the decision on when and where they play away matches has been out of their hands, with home teams dictating where games are held.
But that's expected to change from next year when the NRL's new broadcast deal begins.
It will allow more opportunity for clubs to consult with the NRL about the make-up of the draw, match scheduling, and the travel demands imposed on teams.
“I've had more discussions with the NRL about the future around Perth and our extensive travel as it is,” explained Warriors managing director Jim Doyle.
“And with the new funding [deal] going forward, there will be a lot less teams doing a lot less travelling away from home.
“More recently there's been a lot more discussions with clubs about the longer term, because the NRL get much more say in the draw and the locations and that sort of thing.
“So you'll see that most likely in the future things will change.”
Rival clubs may eye the Warriors as easy beats in Perth but it's the potential to draw bigger crowds through the large local Kiwi population that makes staging games there worthwhile.
And while the trip is less than ideal for the Warriors, they have managed to win some concessions from the NRL to lessen the effects of the 15-hour round plane trip.
Last year, the Warriors pushed for an earlier kick-off time to enable them to make the one daily flight out of Perth to Auckland.
This season they head across to meet the Sea Eagles after playing the Bulldogs at Mt Smart Stadium last Friday and have the following week off with a bye in round 18.
“In the past, the Warriors would be playing at 7pm over there, which meant they had to wait the whole next day in Perth for the 9pm flight,” Doyle said.
“This year we were at home prior to the Perth game. Last year, we came back from Perth and then had to go to Canberra, which is a double leg for us, so we've said we're not doing that again.
“So at least we're working with the NRL to limit the impact of the Perth game.”
Coach Stephen Kearney downplayed the travel factor and said the Warriors needed to focus on overcoming the mental challenge of playing in Perth.
“We do ultimately have a say in [how we respond to the trip],” Kearney said.
“We're heading over a day earlier [today] so it's an opportunity for the group to enjoy each other's company and get ready for a really challenging contest against a team that's in pretty good form.”
Former skipper Simon Mannering insisted the side had not discussed the travel issue but joked the journey would be made easier with the players enjoying the extra leg room in business class.
However, front-rower Albert Vete said Kearney had addressed the issue with the team and instructed them to focus their energy on beating Manly.
“Mooks stamped his authority pretty early on in the week about there being no excuses because of the travel,” Vete said.
“[He said] let's just focus on us and tick the boxes off at training and when we head over there, get the job done.”